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Deej, I sincerely appreciate your going deeper on this one. Thank you.
Yes, the DSM scene has shrunk considerably in recent years. It's hard to escape entropy when all your eggs are in one basket. One of the reasons I started Gearbox was to get people thinking beyond platforms and models.
How many DSM forums are there these days? As the number of DSM enthusiasts continues to shrink, how will these communities differentiate themselves to survive? I assure you, it will not be by more technical forums or a place to peddle used shit. Off topic areas might be the last holdouts. There's some food for thought.
The largest communities out there have the sizable buffers between them and obscurity, but so long as they are model/platform-based, they face a limited timeline. Perhaps we'll see the return of the webring, where a number of communities join forces? Who knows.
And, while I understand your aversion to driving to the Shootout (even I can't justify spending seven days on the road just to drink beer in an overpriced hotel parking lot for two days), I still say you've missed out by not attending. The Shootout isn't about drag racing. It isn't about dyno "competition" or even those delicious chili cheese fries at SRP. It's about getting together with friends in person.
You're one of the last OG holdouts 'round these parts. You are a shit-talking ninja skilled in the ways of FNG chastisement. You would fit right in with this group in person. If you enjoy having a few beers with friends, talking cars, don't you think you'd have a great time actually having those beers with people you've known for a decade online, now?
Enter VLV. How successful would it be if it were just a pre-63 Ford rat rod car show? What if it were a rockabilly music festival? The price, for four days of entertainment is outstanding, but I'd argue it's not the car show, bands, or contrived rockabilly merchandise that brings in the people. VLV is a lifestyle event.
This is exactly the type of event I'd like to work my way up to, but you don't just up and decide to organize a four day spectacle in Las Vegas. You gotta work up to that. 
My plan is to probably start with a couple local events in Arizona, then moving into regional events. I'm already talking to a couple like-minded people with existing event experience here in the States and in the EU. Maybe, like Hammars, the one big annual event will move every year to give more people a chance to attend. I don't know yet, but I'm gonna try.
Again, thanks for the deep thoughts, Mr. Handey.
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